Published On: 16 de October de 2026/Categories: Agrifood sector/Views: 3/6 min read/

Radiography of the Labor Market and the Challenges of Professional Qualification in the Agrifood Sector

The food and beverage industry has established itself as a major economic driver, with Catalonia leading the country in terms of employment (18.3% of the national total).

The Food and Beverage Industry consolidates itself as one of the main economic and employment engines in Spain, reaching 598,469 employed people in the second quarter of 2026, with a year-on-year increase of 8.4%. This positive dynamic is mainly driven by the food industry (CNAE 10), which experienced a growth of 10.5%.

The analysis of recent sector data (September 2026) —extracted from the INE, Social Security, and labor market studies— shows a sector in full evolution. In this scenario, Kreas, as a reference center for vocational and continuous training for the agrifood sector in Catalonia, takes these key figures as a basis to identify the strategic priorities that should guide future actions in talent development, career guidance, and sector training.

Catalonia, Undisputed Engine of the Food Industry

Territorial employment analysis reaffirms Catalonia’s leadership within the national landscape.

  • Employment leadership: Catalonia leads the geographic distribution of the sector with 18.3% of the national total, translating into an average of 108,791 employed people (Figure 1).

  • Weight in the food industry (CNAE 10): Analyzing specifically the food industry, Catalonia’s concentration rises to 18.7% of all employed people in Spain.

  • Subsectores tractores: El sector cárnico (CNAE 101) y la fabricación de productos de panadería y pastas (CNAE 107) concentran, respectivamente, el 22,6% y el 20,8% del empleo total de la alimentación y bebidas a nivel estatal, constituyendo casi la mitad del tejido laboral de la industria.

  • Driver subsectors: The meat sector (CNAE 101) and bakery/pasta manufacturing (CNAE 107) concentrate, respectively, 22.6% and 20.8% of total food and beverage employment nationally, constituting nearly half of the industry’s labor force.

These data confirm that agrifood is not only an industrial pillar in Catalonia, but that its future competitiveness directly depends on the capacity to maintain and improve the qualifications of these workforces.

1. CATALONIA [18,3%]
108.791 employed
2. C. Valenciana [12,9%]
76.552 employed
3. Andalusia [12,7%]
75.181 employed
4. Castile and León [9,5%]
56.181 employed
5. Galicia [8,7%]
51.615 employed
6. Castile-La Mancha [7,5%]
44.285 employed
7. Region of Murcia [5,5%]
32.557 employed
8. C. of Madrid
28.023 employed
9. Rest of CCAA [20,2%]
119.768 employed

Figure 1: Territorial distribution of employment (% of national total). Source: Economically Active Population Survey (EPA) – National Statistics Institute (INE) (Average last 4 quarters)

Catalonia leads the country in agrifood employment volume, justifying the concentration of continuous training and career guidance resources in the Catalan territory.

The Challenge of Generational Turnover and Feminization of the Sector

The agrifood labor market faces two compelling demographic dynamics: workforce aging (Figure 2) and the progressive incorporation of female talent (Figure 3).

16-24 years: 7,7%
40.940 workers
25-34 years: 19,9%
105.843 workers
35-44 years: 25,3%
134.873 workers
45-54 years: 28,4%
151.606 workers
55+ years: 18,7%
99.971 workers
Youth (<35 years): 27,6%
146.783 workers
Seniors (>45 years): 47,1%
251.577 workers

Figure 2: Age distribution in the food industry. Source: EPA (INE 2026Q2)

  • Workforce aging: 47.2% of employed people in the food industry are 45 years or older (reaching 49.3% in the beverage sector). The 16-24 youth group represents only 7.7% of food industry employment. This imbalance highlights the urgent need to articulate guidance and attraction programs for young vocations toward the different agrifood professional families.

  • Search for parity and female growth: The sector remains predominantly male (57.8%), but the food industry shows strong dynamism in female hiring, with a 17.9% year-on-year growth in female employment, reaching 43.8% of the subsector total.

  • Cultural diversity: 26.9% of workers in the food industry have foreign or dual nationality, requiring adapted onboarding, integration, and technical/linguistic training strategies.

FOOD INDUSTRY (CNAE 10)

Men│ 56,2%
299.943
Women │ 43,8% [+17,9% YoY]
233.290

BEVERAGE MANUFACTURING (CNAE 11)

Men │ 70,3%
45.884
Women │ 29,7% [+8,3% YoY]
19.352

Figure 3: Gender breakdown in food and beverage subsectors. Source: EPA (INE 2026Q2)

The Explosion of Vocational Training (FP) and the Need for Technical Profiles

One of the most relevant data points in the report is the paradigm shift in workforce education levels (Figure 4). Although employees without professional studies remain the majority group (58.5% in the food industry), qualified talent from Vocational Training (FP) is growing at an accelerated pace.

In the second quarter of 2026, employed people with Vocational Training studies in the Food Industry registered a year-on-year increase of 21.1%, reaching 137,898 people.

Non-professional studies
58,5% (+6,6% YoY)
Vocational Training (FP)
25,9% (+21,1% YoY)
University st.
15,6% (+9,6% YoY)

VOLUME OF VOCATIONAL TECHNICAL PROFILES (FP):

2025Q2: 113,871 workers

2026Q2: 137,898 workers (+24,027 new qualified technicians)

Figure 4: Educational level and year-on-year variation. Source: EPA (INE 2026Q2 vs 2025Q2)

These figures demonstrate that companies are replacing low-skilled labor with technical profiles capable of managing automated processes, complying with food safety requirements, and leading plant digitalization.

In terms of occupations, the most demanded profiles in the Food Industry are:

  1. Food, beverage, and tobacco industry workers (CNO 770): 160,282 employed (30.1% of the subsector).
  2. Food, beverage, and tobacco machine operators (CNO 816): 66,137 employed (12.4%).
  3. Manufacturing industry laborers (CNO 970): 45,534 employed (8.5%).
  4. Technicians and scientific/support professionals (CNO 2-3): Notable year-on-year growth of 38.6%.
Quality of Employment and the Absenteeism Challenge

The agrifood labor market is characterized by high contractual stability. Since the labor reform came into effect, the sector’s temporary employment rate has dropped to 11.5%, performing better than the national average (15.1%).

  • High wage-earning rate: 95.0% of food industry employees are salaried workers.

  • Permanent contracting: 87.5% of food industry employees and 97.4% in beverages have permanent contracts. The fixed-discontinuous contract figure remains contained, representing only 5.2% of permanent contracts in food.

However, this stability contrasts with a critical operational indicator: workplace absenteeism, as shown below (Figure 5).

GENERAL ABSENTEEISM RATE (%)

Food Industry (CNAE 10)
8,6%
All Sectors (National Average)
7,2%
Beverage Manufacturing (CNAE 11)
6,1%

ABSENTEEISM RATE DUE TO TEMPORARY INCAPACITY (IT)

Food Industry (CNAE 10)
6,7%
All Sectors (National Average)
5,6%
Beverage Manufacturing (CNAE 11)
4,8%

Figure 5: Workplace absenteeism and IT indicators. Source: EPA / Randstad Research (INE 2026Q1)

Absenteeism due to Temporary Incapacity (IT) in the food industry reaches 6.7%, clearly above the economy average. This factor directly impacts plant productivity and highlights the need to improve training in ergonomics, team coordination, risk prevention, and occupational health, as well as developing management skills for supervisors and line managers

Kreas’s Strategic Response: Transforming Data into Value Actions

The detailed labor market analysis confirms that the Catalan agrifood sector requires an integrated strategy for training, guidance, and talent development. Based on this diagnosis, the lines of action promoted by Kreas are structured to directly address the priority needs and key challenges identified in the productive fabric:

  1. Professional Guidance and Support

Facing workforce aging (47.2% over 45 years old) and the strong growth of FP profiles (+21.1%), guidance and support programs become a key tool for:

    • Upskilling and Reskilling: Assisting active workers without formal qualifications through professional skills recognition and accreditation processes.
    • Guidance for female and immigrant talent: Supporting career progression and qualification enhancement for female talent (growing strongly at +17.9%) and foreign-born groups.
  1. Sector-Focused Training

Faced with absenteeism data (8.6%) and the need for qualified operators and technicians (over 42% of the sector), sector training must be oriented towards:

    • Production Line Efficiency and Digitalization: Practical training for operators and process automation.
    • Food Safety and Team Leadership: Training for supervisors and plant managers to improve work environment, reduce sick leave, and optimize operational management.
    • Incentivizing Agrifood Dual FP: Creating direct bridges between youth and companies to accelerate the essential generational turnover demanded by the sector.

Catalan agrifood is not only the engine of the national food industry; it is a stable, professionalized, and constantly transforming sector. At Kreas, we continue working as strategic partners for companies, workers, and public administrations to convert these quantitative challenges into future opportunities for people and the territory.